September 26, 2026
I’ll be honest with you — I have spent most of this evening completely unable to form coherent theological thoughts. Because tonight, the Brisbane Lions won the AFL Grand Final, and if you were born in Queensland and grew up barracking for the Lions like I did, you know exactly what that means.
Three flags in a row. A comeback for the ages. And one very, very happy Queenslander writing this blog post.
But this is a progressive Christianity website, so let me try to bring the two together — and I’ve got some unexpected help from a rather wonderful quote that landed in my feed today.
The Archbishop, the AI, and the Thirty-Nine Articles
Our own Brisbane Anglican Archbishop, Jeremy Greaves, posted this about an hour ago:
“I asked AI for a sermon opening for tomorrow… ‘I understand the Brisbane Lions won something yesterday. I’m afraid my knowledge of AFL is roughly equivalent to most people’s knowledge of the Thirty-Nine Articles — I know it exists, I know some people care about it passionately, and I’m hoping nobody asks me a detailed question.'”
Congratulations to the Brisbane Lions!
— Archbishop Jeremy Greaves, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane
Archbishop Jeremy, I laughed out loud. And honestly? That joke is more theologically rich than it first appears. Most of us carry our faith a little like that AI carries its AFL knowledge — we know it matters, we feel something real when it’s invoked, but we couldn’t always explain the fine print if pressed. Progressive Christianity, at its best, is honest about exactly that.
Before the Game: Kylie Minogue Absolutely Smashed It 👑
Before a ball was even bounced, the MCG was already sacred ground this afternoon — because Kylie Minogue opened the Grand Final, and she was nothing short of extraordinary.
I saw Kylie in Brisbane last year and she was better than ever. Tonight reminded me exactly why. The woman is an icon, full stop — and watching her perform at the biggest sporting event in the country, in her hometown, surrounded by incredible dancers, aerial acrobatics, costume changes, and a medley of her greatest hits, was genuinely one of those pinch yourself moments.
Our friends at Brisbane’s LGBTIQA+ publication QNews captured it perfectly. Writer Dean Arcuri described the scene:
“Gorgeous costumes, so many dancers, string instruments, an aerial extravaganza, and that Minogue medley. What an amazing start to the Grand Final. What a dream it must have been for Kylie to sing so many of her greatest hits at the biggest sporting event in the country in her hometown.”
— Dean Arcuri, QNews
She opened with Love At First Sight, then tore through Spinning Around, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, The Loco-Motion, Get Out of My Way, and Padam Padam — the last one as a duet with G Flip, which looked like two mates having the absolute time of their lives on the biggest stage in Australia. William Barton joined her for a breathtaking rendition of Confide in Me. And then there was the aerial harness during Can’t Get You Out Of My Head — because of course Kylie made a safety harness look fabulous.
Kylie said at her pre-match press conference:
“There’s just so much about this moment for me that’s hard for me to grasp. I’m kind of in awe and wonder myself at this moment. The MCG is gargantuan – and even when it’s empty it has this incredible energy. [But] it’s also like a massive hug. It’s such a communal space that it did feel good out there.”
— Kylie Minogue
A massive hug. Yes. That’s exactly what it felt like watching her.
And of course — this is a progressive Christian space and I want to say this clearly — Kylie has been one of the most consistent and genuine allies the LGBTQ+ community has ever had. Those dancers up on that MCG stage today weren’t just a spectacle; they were a statement. Queer joy, on the biggest stage in Australian sport, in front of 100,000 people. That matters. As QNews so beautifully put it: “NOW THAT WAS CAMP!” — and they are absolutely right.
For a progressive faith community that believes every person is made in the image of God and deserves to be celebrated, there was something quietly sacred about watching that kind of unapologetic, glittering, joyful inclusion play out at the MCG this afternoon.
What Happened in the Game (For Those Who Were at Evening Prayer)
If you missed it, here’s what unfolded at the MCG this afternoon:
The Brisbane Lions were down by 17 points with less than ten minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter. Fremantle had triggered their famous “Wharfie Time” celebration. The purple faithful were roaring. Most neutral observers had already written the Lions off.
And then something extraordinary happened.
Charlie Cameron. Zac Bailey. Logan Morris — twice. Four goals in the dying minutes. A seven-point victory: Brisbane 14.12 (96) def. Fremantle 12.7 (89).
Coach Chris Fagan’s “Cardiac Kids” — and what a name that is — became only the second team in 42 years to win a Grand Final from behind at three-quarter time, joining Geelong’s miraculous 2009 comeback against St Kilda in the annals of football history.
Three consecutive premierships. A dynasty. And a reminder that it’s never over until it’s over.
Why This Matters Beyond the Scoreboard (Stay With Me)
I’ve followed the Brisbane Lions since I was a kid growing up in Queensland. This isn’t a bandwagon — this is a relationship forged through lean years and heartbreak as much as triumph. And tonight, watching this team refuse to capitulate when every rational sign pointed to defeat, I found myself thinking about something that sits close to the heart of progressive faith:
Resurrection isn’t only a doctrine. It’s a pattern.
It’s the pattern of things that look finished finding a way through. Of communities that seem beaten choosing, against all odds, to get back up. Of grace arriving in the final minutes when we’d already started grieving.
I’m not going to over-spiritualise a football game — Archbishop Jeremy’s AI has already warned us about asking too many detailed questions. But I do think there’s something real in the fact that the stories which move us most, in scripture and in sport, tend to be the ones where all seems lost and then — somehow — it isn’t.
And maybe the same goes for Kylie performing to 100,000 people, mid-comeback season in her own right, at 58 years old, better than she has ever been — surrounded by queer dancers, in her hometown, doing it entirely on her own terms. That’s its own kind of resurrection story.
A Word for Tomorrow Morning
If Archbishop Jeremy needs a revised sermon opener after tonight, might I humbly suggest:
“Like the Lions in the final quarter — or perhaps like the disciples on Easter morning — sometimes the story isn’t over when we think it is.”
That’ll preach.
Go Lions. 🦁
Three flags. One extraordinary night. Kylie at the MCG. And a Queensland kid who is absolutely not going to sleep at a reasonable hour.
If you’re celebrating tonight, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. And if you have thoughts on where you find the sacred showing up in unlikely places — the football field, a Kylie concert, the Archbishop’s social media feed, the final minutes of a comeback — share those too. That’s what this community is for.
Written with joy, in the glow of a television screen, somewhere in Queensland.
What do you think — where do you find grace showing up in unexpected places? Leave a comment below.
